Lionel Bart of Oliver! fame dies

LONDON -- Lionel Bart, the lyricist and composer who created Oliver! and other musicals, died on Saturday at the age of 68, his family said.

The cause of death was not announced, but Bart's nephew, Michael Pruskin, said he had been treated for cancer.

Bart played a large role in reviving the English musical at a time when American productions dominated London's stages.

He also won dubious fame for losing his fortune from Oliver! and survived long years of alcoholism and excess.

Andrew Lloyd-Webber praised his fellow composer on Saturday: "Lionel was the father of the modern British musical.

"As composer, book writer and lyricist of Oliver! he was responsible for one of the greatest musicals of all time and ... he wrote arguably the all-time perfect pop song, Living Doll."

Bart's first musical, Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be, premiered in 1959, the same year he produced Lock Up Your Daughters.

And then in 1960 came Oliver! based on Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist.

The play had a long run, followed by successful revivals in 1967 and 1977. The show was also a hit in New York.-- Sapa-AP